https://barryhisblog.blogspot.com/2026/11/ancient-viral-dna-offers-clues-to-why.html
The link just above is an explanation of research from Lund University. Their report is published @ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeg5791
I have written this piece in order to try and provide a short accessible explanation for the general reader who may be unfamiliar with the relevant facts. I hope, like me, you will find them fascinating.
Our genomes, the DNA in all our cells1 exhibit the inherited remains of viral infections in the DNA of our ancestors. In the jargon, these infections are called "integrations". More jargon - these viruses are called "retroviruses", and their presence in our genomes makes them "endogenous", so they are called endogenous retroviruses - ERVs for short2. A full but hopefully accessible account of these can be found in my ERV FAQ @ https://barryhisblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/ERV-FAQ.html
Around 8％ of our genomes and the genomes of chimpanzees come from retroviruses in the form of some 200,000 corrupted and partial viral integrations. The vast majority are common to both species, having been integrated with the genomes of our common ancestors. A few are unique to each species - HERVs are human ERVs and PTERVs are chimp (Pan troglodytes) ERVs. These species-specific ERVs are usually due to separate endogenizations (another word for integrations) that occurred after we became separate species.
The researchers looked at a certain PTERV and found that it had been rendered inactive3. Inactivation is common in ERVs. After all, they are the results of infections by viruses whose raison d'etre is to force our cells to make more viruses - to the cost of our cells, or health and our lives. ERVs are all either disabled, partial or repurposed infections, otherwise we would all be dead.
This PTERV inactivation also deactivated an original genetic sequence which produced a substance dubbed LINC00662[4] that in humans is involved in brain development. The upshot of all this is that we have at least a part of the story of how we and chimps came to have different brains.
The study of ERVs is providing us with a wealth of knowledge about ourselves and our genetic history, knowledge that is vital for a better understanding of ourselves.
Actually all our nuclear cells have nuclear DNA. Other cells, like red blood cells, do not.
ERV is normally spelled out as “Ee - Ar - Vee” rather than anyone trying to pronounce it as a word .
Methylation is the process by which DNA is inactivated. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_methylation
An RNA transcript
https://barryhisblog.blogspot.com/2026/11/ancient-viral-dna-offers-clues-to-why.html
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